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The Baltic Biogas Forum 2012

Dec 19, 2012

The search for effective methods of producing alternative fuels constitutes an important aspect of local energy development. Biogas produced from different waste and organic substrates from agriculture is one of the best sources of alternative fuel. Current agricultural environmental and energy policy as well as science strategies promote the development and implementation of innovative renewable energy technologies especially those related to biogas production.

The Baltic Eco-Energy Cluster and the PAS Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery are the initiators and organizers of the annual international conference Baltic Biogas Forum. The conference is addressed to all stakeholders (research, business and policy makers) interested in creating a favourable environment for biogas technologies and their implementation in practice. Systematic approach involving the scientific and practical point of view on technical and technological issues regarding the biogas production provided the framework for discussions at the Biogas Forum. In particular, the subject of interest of the conference discussions was biogas from biomass of different origins and socio-economic aspects (including location) related to biogas production, and use of biogas in cogeneration systems to produce electricity and heat.

New dimensions to the discussion

The confrontation of the research findings and practical experience regarding biogas, both on the national (Ekoenergia, Erich Stallkamp Polska, Intermark, M.A.S. Sp. z o.o., Edoradca) and international (Germany, Norway, Sweden, Latvia) level, has given new dimension to the discussion on the development of biogas technologies.

Biogas Forum 2012 presentations and discussions covered the wide range of topics including

Implementation of the research results in new pilot microbiogas plants of 20kW deserved special attention. These plants can serve as research facilities but also as practical installations producing energy for their own needs and they can be incorporated into smart energy system.

Examples of such installations were presented at the Biogas Forum. The researchers from the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn presented agricultural biogas plant in the didactic & research station in Bałdy. The innovative biogas plants of a container type designed by researchers from the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice (biogas plant in Studzionka near Pszczyna) and Gdansk University of Technology have been realized with substantial financial support of ENERGA SA group.

Forum discussions covered also variety of practical issues related to technological, environmental, legal and financial issues, including support programs and existing barriers to the biogas development.

As a conclusion

The main conclusions of the Biogas Forum 2012 can be summarized as follow:

a biogas plant should become an integral part of the infrastructure of modern agricultural farm and an essential component of a local energy system based on a prosument model: i.e. energy produced in a biogas plant covers own energy needs of farm and surplus energy is sold to the local grid. In this system, a biogas plant can be considered as an important part of so-called autonomous region of power

production of biogas in a result of methane fermentation in a biogas plant is an effective method for use of energy potential of different organic waste. Though methane fermentation process has been known for decades, the question how to optimise the process efficiency is still open. Quick and cheap implementation of the efficient methane fermentation process in practice, especially in conditions of agricultural biogas plants is of high importance.

The Baltic Biogas Forum 2012 proved to be an excellent platform to promote the development of biogas technologies and their implementation to agricultural practice and waste management.

The Baltic Biogas Forum was supported by various national and international projects including EU BSR ‘Bioenergy Promotion 2’ and ‘Public Energy Alternatives’ - both partially funded by the European Union (European Regional Development Fund) and RPO WP 1.5.2 project ‘Support the creation and development of cooperation relationships in the Key Cluster of Pomorskie Voivodeship - Baltic EcoEnergy Cluster’ partly financed by the European Regional Development Fund in frame of RPO WP 2007-2013, and the strategic program of the National Centre for Research and Development (NCB&R): ‘Advanced Technologies for Energy Generation’: Task 4. ‘Development of Integrated Technologies for the Production of Fuels and Energy from Biomass and from Agricultural and other Waste Materials’.